Considering the 2017 Rams Draft
- Updated: May 8, 2017
By most accounts, the first Rams draft of the Snead/McVay era went kind of Fish-y.
The Jeff Fisher era ended with a whimper, instead of a bang, in 2016. This was because Fisher consistently brought in subpar talent, or failed to utilize the talent that he brought in properly. Brian Quick, for example, came out of Appalachian State in 2012 ahead of the highly touted Alshon Jefferey, and did close to nothing. Isaiah Peed, taken later that same round, did even less. The Jeff Fisher-led Rams traded up the following year to select Tavon Austin #8 overall. Austin is a flashy slot guy to this point in his career, and nothing more. DeAndre Hopkins, by comparison, lasted 19 more ticks after Tavon Austin in that first round.
In 2014, Fisher and the Rams took the disappointing Greg Robinson, a raw but talented prospect that has not developed. Two picks later Sammy Watkins became a Buffalo Bill and three picks after that Mike Evans joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Taylor Lewan and Zack Martin were on the board at the time of the pick, as well, and have gone on to have formidable early careers on their respective offensive lines. Of course, there is no way to tell if they would have flourished under Fisher; the evidence indicates that they would have not.
The 2015 Rams draft brought RB Todd Gurley, who could still be special. Several offensive linemen taken in that draft by the Rams are still on the team, as well. There is hope that, as they develop, the 2015 Rams draft will help to exonerate some of the history of Fisher and Snead. If they do develop under another regime, however, that could lend credence to the theory that choosing talent wasn’t the weakness of the Snead/Fisher administration. Developing it was.
Then there is the 2016 draft. Jeff Fisher – or perhaps Les Snead – traded a bevy of current and future picks to secure the 1st round in that year’s draft. They then selected Jared Goff. It is too early to know whether Goff will develop into a capable QB, but it surely means something that he spent most of his rookie season on the bench. When he did play he went 0-7 as a starter. It doesn’t help the legacy of Fisher and Snead that the 2nd pick in the 2016 draft was QB Carson Wentz, who flourished as the day one starter in Philadelphia.
Which brings us to 2017. Jeff Fisher is gone, fired before the 2016 campaign drew to a close. Snead remains, but surely on the bubble. The wunderkind, Sean McVay, has assumed control of the football team with the hope of energizing Todd Gurley and Jared Goff and reviving the Los Angeles Rams offense. The 2017 NFL Draft was the first step in that resurrection project.
How did they do?
It’s impossible to know that just yet but, on the surface, they missed. They missed out on a 1st round pick altogether, due to the Jared Goff trade. In the second round the Rams traded down, missing out on highly regarded WR Zay Jones and the best guard in the draft, Forrest Lamp. Those players came off the board immediately following the trade down. The Rams opted to take a TE, Gerald Everett, instead. Everett is a highly regarded project from a small school, and McVay loves to use tight ends. The consensus, however, is that similar talent – and maybe even Everett himself – could have been found later in the draft. By all regards, they would have been better off taking Jones, or JuJu Smith-Schuster. At the very least, Lamp.
In the third round, the Rams took their wide receiver, at last. Cooper Kupp. Kupp is a sensation from college with questionable measureables regarded by many as boom or bust. The very next pick after Kupp was offensive lineman Pat Elflein. Elflein would have answered the long-lingering question of what the Rams were going to do, long term, at center. If Elflein enjoys a long career, and if Kupp busts instead of booms, there will be questions for years to come.
Grading a draft the week after it was completed is difficult, to understate the obvious. Kupp could indeed be regarded someday as the best receiver in this draft, as former Panther-turned-pundit Steve Smith suggested. Gerald Everett may be the Jordan Reed of McVay’s Rams offense. Those linemen taken in the years before may flourish under the new braintrust. Maybe this is the best Rams draft in ages.
But for now we can only go by what we know. We know that Zay Jones was great value at the pick the Rams gave up. We know that Elflein was the center prospect the Rams so desperately need. As well, we know that many picks in the 2017 Los Angeles Rams draft were reaches. We don’t know what the future holds. We do know that as of today the Rams draft looks weak on paper. If it plays out that way it is likely Les Snead’s last as a Ram.
Let’s hope they prove us wrong.
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